Drainage decisions were made before area was annexed

Basins, ponds solved problem at Crest Manor, Kensington in 1960s.

Basins, ponds solved problem at Crest Manor, Kensington in 1960s.

January 01, 2007|JAMIE LOO Tribune Staff Writer

When Crest Manor and Kensington Farms were built in the 1960s, the subdivisions still were part of the county, according to Jason Durr, assistant city engineer for South Bend. Stories from Tribune archives indicate the area suffered from some flooding problems because of the south side's clay soil, which doesn't absorb water effectively. Most of the homes also were built with septic systems, which created sewer and basement backups. In 1968, the city of South Bend annexed Kensington Farms and Crest Manor, leading up to 400 property owners filing suit against the city. One of the complaints was that residents already had invested in septic systems and didn't want to pay for city sewer installation. The city's annexation was upheld in court in 1971. Maps for the area are incomplete, and from what Durr can tell from old site plans, the Kensington Farms ponds were expected to be wet basins and always hold water. A newspaper article from 1969 says developer Andrew S. Place received permission from the Area Plan Commission to build the long, shallow lagoons in Kensington Farms for drainage and recreational purposes. Place stocked the ponds with fish and expected people to use the pond for sail boats and skating in the winter. In 1973, Kensington Farms residents agreed to allow the city to install sanitary sewer lines to the subdivision, with the city paying for half the cost with property taxes. It is the first time in the city's history that taxes were used to install local sewers, according to an article in the Tribune archives. Crest Manor In a 1962 article, Carl E. Gardner, a consultant to the St. Joseph County Plan Commission, said "it was a mistake" to zone the Crest Manor area for residential use and that it should have remained agricultural. But Albert E. Nall, president of the Crest Manor Development Corp. that built the subdivision, disagreed. Nall believed the drainage issues in the area could be solved by building retention basins that would drain in 24 hours after a heavy rain. No records were found in the Tribune archives that indicate whether the Crest Manor Development Corp. received approval to build a retention basin or if alleged stories that neighbors built the pond themselves are true. Sandra Boehm said early residents living around the Crest Manor pond created it. Boehm said that when she and her husband moved there 34 years ago, the large field behind their house was a swampy, "holy mess." Standing water after heavy rains was common, and "the mosquitoes were fierce," she said. Boehm said residents around the pond built the gates and filled it with water. The true origins of the Crest Manor pond may never be known. Regardless of the area's history, Durr said the drainage situation remains today and needs to be solved. "Unfortunately, we're living with some decisions that were made 40 to 50 years ago," Durr said. "We're just going to have to live with them and try to solve them." Staff writer Jamie Loo: jloo@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6337